"Martial Soul Book, Innate Soul Power...level ten!"
"What!? How is that possible!?"
"A book actually has Innate Full Soul Power?"
"What a pity. At most, it can only be a support-type Martial Soul. Still, congratulations. Compared to everyone else, at least you can become a Soul Master."
Holy Soul Village, in the square.
A young Soul Master in blue stared at the silver-haired boy before him in shock.
The boy's name was Bai Lan.
He was quite handsome.
Though he wore plain clothes,
he carried himself with extraordinary poise.
That was because he wasn't from this world.
He was a transmigrator from Huaxia.
Over the past six years, he had learned
that the world he had come to was actually the Douluo Continent.
It was the setting of the hottest and most commercially successful Chinese animated series and novel of his previous life.
Though its reputation wasn't great.
That was mainly because of the people who wrote it.
What's more, he hadn't arrived during Tang San's era.
He had arrived ten thousand years later, in the era of The Unrivaled Tang Sect.
By then, Spirit Hall had long since fallen.
No one offered free Martial Soul awakenings to commoners anymore.
Nor were there any financial subsidies for commoner Soul Masters.
Commoner Soul Masters had an even harder time getting ahead than they had ten thousand years ago.
All resources were monopolized by the empires, sects, factions, the powerful, and even the academies.
Unless a commoner Soul Master awakened an exceptionally powerful Martial Soul, getting ahead was practically impossible.
This was one of the unfinished messes Tang San had left behind.
On top of that, with neither Slaughter City nor Spirit Hall keeping them in check, Evil Soul Masters ran rampant.
The Holy Spirit Cult was the best example.
Nowadays, commoners had to pay to awaken their Martial Souls.
Almost every year, Holy Soul Village pooled its money to invite a Soul Master from Nuoding City to help with the awakenings.
The man before him was the one Holy Soul Village had hired this year. His name was Su Botao.
Bai Lan suspected the man was a descendant of Su Yuntao.
Ten thousand years later, Holy Soul Village still hadn't become particularly wealthy.
But thanks to the name of Sea God Tang San, it had achieved a modest level of prosperity.
Oh, right. This place wasn't called Holy Soul Village anymore.
It was called God Soul Village.
A god had come from here.
He gathered his thoughts.
When he came back to himself,
he looked down at the book in his hands.
This book wasn't as simple as it looked.
The moment his Martial Soul awakened, information about the book had automatically appeared in his mind.
A data panel appeared before him, visible only to him.
[Name: Bai Lan]
[Age: Six]
[Martial Soul: Contract Book]
[Soul Power: Level Ten]
[Ability One: For every ten levels gained, you can forcibly contract one powerless living or nonliving being as a Contract Beast.]
[Ability Two: For every ten levels gained, you can let a Contract Beast evolve once. Each Contract Beast has its own independent number of evolutions.]
[Ability Three: You can see the evolutionary paths of Contract Beasts.]
[Ability Four: You can share all the abilities of your Contract Beasts.]
[Currently at level ten. You can contract your first Contract Beast and let it evolve once.]
This panel was his cheat.
For now, it was simply a character interface.
Perhaps it came with the Contract Book.
After all, as a transmigrator, he was bound to have something that set him apart.
The awakening was over. Bai Lan was the only child in this generation with Soul Power.
So he became the village's main focus.
The other children, who had no Soul Power, were all dejected.
After finishing his work, Su Botao hurried away.
Nowadays, people had to invite Soul Masters themselves to awaken their Martial Souls, so there was no longer a process for writing certificates of Martial Soul awakening.
"How rare! In the ten thousand years since Sea God Tang San's time, our God Soul Village has finally produced another genius with Innate Full Soul Power."
"Heaven truly favors our village!"
"Xiao Lan, though a book Martial Soul is weak, it's still stronger than Tang San's Blue Silver Grass from ten thousand years ago. Don't be discouraged. The village will pool its resources to raise you and send you to a Soul Master Academy."
Just then, Village Chief Old Jack walked over with a kindly smile.
That's right. This generation's village chief was also called Old Jack.
And he looked exactly like he had in the first season of the animated series.
The first time Bai Lan saw him, he'd wondered if Old Jack might really be a hidden God King.
How could he look exactly the same?
People online in his previous life used to joke that Old Jack was a retired God King living in seclusion.
Maybe they were right.
Bai Lan dismissed the character panel and smiled at Old Jack. "Grandpa Jack, I'm not discouraged. Compared to those without Soul Power, I'm already very lucky. And my Martial Soul isn't as useless as it looks. I'll become a powerful Soul Master and repay the village for raising me these past six years."
Six years ago, Old Jack had found him on the mountain behind the village. He had no idea who his parents were.
For the past six years, he had grown up eating meals provided by the villagers.
He wasn't a cold-blooded person like Tang San.
Once he made something of himself, he would repay the village.
Old Jack looked at the book in Bai Lan's hands. A profound glint flashed deep in his eyes.
Then he seemed to understand, and smiled. "That's good. I'm glad you can think that way."
"You have Innate Full Soul Power. Perhaps you can try your luck at Shrek Academy. If things go well, you might even be able to enroll early."
"Even after ten thousand years, Innate Full Soul Power is still rare."
"Of course, it's a long journey, and we can't go with you. We can only give you money for the road."
"If that doesn't work out, then find another Soul Master Academy. With Innate Full Soul Power, you're sure to find a place to study."
Old Jack considered it, then said this.
In this era, Shrek Academy was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Alright, I'll give it a try." Bai Lan had the same idea.
Since he'd arrived in the era of The Unrivaled Tang Sect,
it would be a shame not to visit Shrek Academy.
Besides, it was the perfect place to show off.
What was the point of being a transmigrator if you couldn't show off?
If he really got in, he could also receive protection and resources.
That would help him grow faster.
As for the issues people online in his previous life had criticized,
he didn't care at all.
As long as he didn't join that damned Shrek Inspectorate, he'd be safe.
Anyway, Shrek Academy was only a stepping stone for Bai Lan.
Once he grew strong enough, he would leave.
And so, Bai Lan took the money and set off alone for Shrek Academy.
Old Jack trusted him to leave because Bai Lan had always been mature and steady for his age.
After all, no one in this world could be completely sure of their own safety.
Three days later.
He passed by a small Soul Beast Forest.
Summoning his courage, Bai Lan ventured inside alone, a sickle in his hand.
Near the forest's outer edge, he came across a ten-year-old Guzhu.
It was very resilient, but couldn't resist.
And there were plenty more Guzhu like it here.
"Since it can evolve anyway, I might as well contract it."
"I don't have the strength to contract anything else right now."
"Besides, I think Guzhu has a lot of room to grow."
With that thought, Bai Lan brought up the Contract Book.
He locked onto the ten-year-old Guzhu before him.
Contract Guzhu!
He silently repeated the words in his mind.
The next moment,
a line of information appeared.
Before you continue